Alarabiya News recently reported of a recording that has surfaced online from the chief leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri. In the recording al-Zawahiri encourages Islamists to kidnap westerners and hold them hostage in order to bargain with western government to release Islamists from their prison.

The monitoring service, SITE Intelligence Group, reported that it found the recording online last week and translated it. (However, after reviewing it, Reuters News could not verify the authenticity of the recording.) However, it is noteworthy enough to consider it a serious concern.

According to SITE, al-Zawahiri instructs

“global militant network” of Islamists to kidnap westerners until they liberate the last Muslim male prisoner and last Muslim female prisoner in the prisons of the Crusaders, apostates, and enemies of Islam.”

al-Zawahiri is reported to be hiding somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where the Taliban is based.

About the AuthorBethany Blankley

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